The Clerk of State Court and the deputy clerks in this office are committed to providing you with excellent customer service. We will be happy to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have about the services of this office or the procedures you must follow for a particular state court process. Please be advised, however, that state law prohibits our staff from rendering legal advice, restating the law or recommending specific ways to pursue legal action. Nothing on this web site is intended to advise anyone as to legal remedies for a particular circumstance.

Many matters of law are quite complex and may require special knowledge of legal principles and procedures. If you have a problem involving the interpretation of the law, we suggest you contact an attorney licensed in the State of Georgia. Although we cannot recommend a specific attorney, you may contact the Cobb County Attorney Referral Service at (770) 424-2947.

Image

The Clerk of the State Court performs all administrative functions of the State Court as prescribed by law and court rules. This office is responsible for maintaining accurate and complete records of all court proceedings, including all traffic offenses, misdemeanors and certain civil actions. In addition, all monies of the court are received and disbursed by the clerk.

The office is organized into divisions that enable the office to perform its functions more efficiently for the judges and the general public. These divisions are Criminal, Civil, Courtroom Deputies and Accounting.

History of State Court

The State Court of Cobb County was established by the Georgia General Assembly in 1964 and began operating January 1, 1965. Originally named the Civil and Criminal Court of Cobb County, the name was subsequently changed to State Court of Cobb County. The Court has evolved from a Small Claims Court to one of unlimited jurisdiction over certain civil matters.

Having been created by local legislation, the State Court of Cobb County differs from State Courts in other Georgia counties. Jurisdictional questions may be found under local legislation in the Georgia Code Annotated. The Court currently has twelve (12) elected Judges, an elected Clerk and Chief Deputy Clerk, an elected Solicitor General and an appointed Director of State Court Services. All elected officials serve 4-year terms.

After serving as Chief Deputy Clerk of the State Court of Cobb County for seven years, Robin Bishop was sworn in as Clerk in 2020.

Ms. Bishop began her county government service in 1994 as the Law Library Director for the Cobb County Judicial Circuit. She was later promoted to Judicial Program Coordinator for Superior Court Administration. After her service in the Courts, Ms. Bishop became the director of Keep Cobb Beautiful, until she was promoted to Cobb County Grants Development Specialist.  Ms. Bishop sat for vetted testing for the first group of certified grant professionals in the State of Georgia (GPC).  She held the GPC certification until her tenure began in the State Court of Cobb County.  Ms. Bishop owned and operated a grants and governance consulting firm for local governments and non-profits for six years prior to her appointment to Chief Deputy.

Ms. Bishop holds an undergraduate degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Kennesaw State University. She completed a Certificate of Local Government Management from the Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia. She is a Cobb county native and Osborne High School graduate. She was in the first class of the Cobb Chamber’s Cobb Youth Leadership Program. She graduated from the adult Leadership Cobb Program in 1998.

Ms. Bishop’s  current community work includes: volunteering for liveSAFE Resources as a part of the Academy of Women Leaders, being a member and volunteering for the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association, and as a member of the Cobb EXCEL Alumni association. She has previously been awarded Cobb County Citizen of the year from the Smyrna Oakdale Moose Lodge, a Tribute to Women of Achievement Award from liveSAFE Resources, The Martha Logue Management Award from Cobb County Excel Alumni, and The Babe Atkins Byrne Ray of Hope Award from the Cobb Chapter of the American Cancer Society.  Ms. Bishop resides in Acworth with her husband Allan and their two very busy children.

Rochelle Taylor was sworn in as Chief Deputy Clerk in August of 2020.

Mrs. Taylor graduated from Campbell High School in Smyrna. She attended the University of Georgia and Kennesaw State University. She holds a Certificate of Local Government Management from the Carl Vinson Institute, is GCIC certified and was a member of the Georgia Records Association.

Mrs. Taylor was a legal assistant for two law offices before her tenure with State Court.  She has served over twenty-two years in the State Court Clerk's office, as a Calendar, Docket, Accounting and Courtroom Clerk, Criminal Division Supervisor and Division Manager.  During that time, she spearheaded many record conversion and technology projects for the court, vastly improving innovations and record retention methods.

Mrs. Taylor volunteered with the Smyrna Upward program, the Cobb Employee Friendship Club, the Drug and Alcohol Awareness program and Cobb Project Restore 360.  She is a member of the Excel Management Alumni Association and a parent volunteer at Cumberland Christian Academy and her church, Smyrna First United Methodist.  She resides in Powder Springs with her husband Alan and two children.

The principal function of the Courtroom Deputies Division is to assist the Judges in the courtrooms with all cases that are to be disposed of through the State Court. Courtroom Deputies assist in all court sessions and complete the records from court. They are the liaison between the Clerk’s Office, the Judges, and the courtroom. It is their responsibility to prepare all necessary paperwork and transport the cases to court where they are disposed of either by Settlement, Plea, Jury or Non-Jury trials. Courtroom Deputies are the keepers of all cases while in the courtrooms. They handle in rapid and accurate succession all paperwork necessary to complete the cases. The Courtroom Deputies are also responsible for distributing cases to the appropriate division of the Clerk’s Office after filing pleadings and docketing the necessary paperwork submitted during court.

Evidence

Courtroom Deputies mark and retain custody of all evidence presented at the time of a trial or hearing. Evidence is kept for 30 days pending appeal and will be destroyed after 150 days if it is not picked up or returned electronically.  Evidence will be released to the party/attorney that tendered it at trial or hearing after 30 days. The party/attorney who wishes to retrieve evidence will need to speak to a Courtroom Deputy, as each clerk is responsible for disposing of the evidence once the appeal time has expired according to the law and the standing order for evidence for this court.